What a week! We got a great deal accomplished thanks be to God who is our strength and our guide! We had lots of fun and lots of challenges. The twins had two rather extensive trips to the doctor. One was a check up and the other was the ophthamalogist. We also played, watched dvds (their favorites are Shrek and Spirit, which happen to both be on the soon-to-be-revised official Rosenthal Family Favorites list) swam, played some more, kept up our regular routines of getting Abbie and Hannah off to school and back and to and from rehearsal and basketball games.

Most of the time Anastasia and Jonathan were both cooperative, but other times we met serious resistance. It was quite apparent after a couple of days that Nastia does not like the car and she actually fought hard against getting in the car, putting on the seat belt and getting out of the car. She has made great progress though. It really helped to talk to our friend Zorina who has been an interpreter almost on a daily basis. At least Nastia now knows we understand she gets car sick and we only take the prius and the van instead of the fj cruiser which has little visiblity for smaller children.

One melt down was particularly intense, but we all learned that Momma and Poppa's resolve is solid. Since then, the battles have come to a much quicker end. We can see her figuring out her new environment and testing its limits, and see the incredicble importance of keeping her world secure and predictable.

"Hydrotherapy" has also proven to be helpful for Nastia in particular. The first day we swam she was very tense and had a such a hard time that we thought she couldn't swim and even had a hard time floating on her back. By the end of the week, though she was swimming like a fish and very relaxed as she practice her back float. Praise God.

A lot of attention has been given to Nastia just because her personality it just so "out there" but Jonathan has benefitted so much as well from observing us with his sister and also responded beautifully. He is used to whining which Zorina talked to him about one night and that seemed to really help him understand. He is a very easy-going kid and loves to help with everything!! He also has the greatest smile and loves to give all of us big hugs!

Both of these children are so precious!!!!! God is giving us exactly what we need when we need it and we thank those of you who are praying for us. Your prayers are clearly being answered. God is also mightily at work through Abbie and Hannah. Their example speaks volumes! As does their love and delight in their new siblings.

Their doctor visits were somewhat surprising. They both tested positive for TB, which alarmed us at first, but after the chest xrays, we learned it is not active. They will however be on anitibiotics for a long time. They are clear for school.

The ophthamalogist discovered that Jonathan's eyesight is actually worse than Nastia's. Nastia's strabismus (crossed-eyes) will be corrected by surgery. The good news is she is using both of her eyes. That is very good since it will help her recovery. Both of them will wear glasses all the time. He also told us that they are still within the window of develpment and should have full recovery of the brain development they lost from the brain not receieving clear images for so long. That window closes at about age 9 or 10. Rejoice with us that their vision will be corrected in time to prevent permanent neurological retardation!

Please pray for their physical and emotional development and for their first day of school which will be April 20. Mike and I also need your prayers for wisdom and discernment as well as for physical strength and endurance. Praise God who supplies all our needs!

Homecoming was such a joy and a much needed blessing after a punishing travel experience. Our flights went swiftly from Kiev to LA. We were even able to get on standby from NY to LA first thing Saturday morning. The twins are excellent travellers we can tell. The acted out quite a bit, however. There were blocks of time (mostly on the airplanes and during transitional times) in which it felt like we were constantly doing battle. The schedule was rigorous enough without having two needy and overwhelmed children in tow, but with our average night's sleep being about 3-4 hours, we definitely were at our wits' end by the time we arrived at home. What a blessing Abbie and Hannah were to us at that time! We knew that coming home to two other children would be a tremendous help for Anastasia and Jonathan, but we had no idea the level of joy it would bring us all. Abbie and Hannah's faces were absolutely beaming with anticipation and love for their new siblings. There was plenty of excitement and love seeing Mommy and Daddy too.

We spent our first afternoon together just playing. Hannah helped Anastasia go through her clothes, all of which Anastasia loved! Abbie taught Jonathan how to play wii which he took to like a fish to water. Then there were pillow fights and tickling matches. Anastasia and Hannah painted their nails. They all watched Tom and Jerry on DVD. I think "DVD" is the twins first English word (if it is a word.) We also walked to the park and played tag. It sounds like a lot of activity but it was so soothing just to do normal family things.

The photo was taken on our walk to the park.

We had the playground all to ourselves.

Bailey appreciated Jonathan's gentle and easy-going disposition.

Anastasia is "all girl" and loved the ponytails Hannah did for her. Hannah and Anastasia took to each other immediately.

Jonathan and Anastasia discovered the scooters in the garage and took what we think was their first ride on them. Apparently there are no helmet laws in Ukraine, because the only way we could get them to wear them was to take away the scooters. It didn't take long for them to make the connection.

Both Anastasia and Jonathan had been eager to swim from the minute they arrived, so finally Sunday afternoon we heated the jacuzzi and swam.

Jonathan loved the bubble bath. He was even swimming in the tub.

Anastasia was so happy to finally swim.

Abbie and Hannah were at rehearsal, so momma and poppa got some bonding time with Anastasia and Jonathan. No one for sure who started it, but bunny ears just popped out all over!

Mike was (is) really sick, but was compelled to infalte his new boat and take the kids and Bailey for rides.

It was a truly blessed first 24 hours! One of the highlights which is not pictured was our first meal together as a family. We had mac & cheese, of course. The highlight, though, was holding hands to pray and looking forward to sharing with Anastasia and Jonathan the fact that they have been adopted not just by a loving human family, but by our Gracious Heavenly Father who has orchestrated the whole adventure from the beginning and who is being glorified in this small picture of his love toward each of us.

First of all, we are all safe and in Kiev! Praise God!! Our exit from the orphanage was scoop and run...we will fill you in on the reasons when we are safely out of the country. It was a gruelling 12-hour drive from Donets'k to Kiev. We left at about 3pm and arrived in Kiev about 5am. The guide and driver were in the front seat and the four of us were in the back seat which was intended for 3. By the time the kids sprawled out to sleep, there was little room for Mike and me. We took what seemed like back roads all the way. It was a single lane highway with plenty of potholes to slow us down even further. In Kiev, we got about an hour sleep before we had to get up to make it to the doctor for the medical exam, and then it was right to the US Embassy. After lunch at Mc Donalds, we were able to come back to the apartment for a much needed nap! Mike wanted to take a picture of Anastasia sleeping without her purse in her mouth (photo) but when he tried to move it, he realized that, though sound asleep, the handle was gripped tightly in her teeth and wouldn't budge. This is no doubt how she managed to keep her sole possession from the orphanage without it being stolen while she slept!


These photos show some highlights of our first afternoon as new parents of these two souls. Throughout both the tranquil and silly moments was a realization of the strenghts that these two survivors come to us equipped with as well as the challenges we face in redirecting the patterns they learned in the institutionalized environment.







After a lot of tension, it was nice to break down and play 'king of the bed.'












Mike won the first match quite easily.













Round two two took teamwork on Jonathan and Anastasia's part.












But eventually their persistence paid off.














As you can see, the apples don't fall far from the tree!











Anastasia didn't want 'momma' to feel left out of the action.












'Momma' wanted Anastasia to know that when it comes to wrestling, momma can hold her own!












It's no wonder they're good wrestlers, they love Tom and Jerry videos!

I have about 5 minutes to update you while Mike packs. We are leaving the region with the twins! We will be travelling by car to Kiev in order to remain under the radar. We've been told we have to leave right away and it is of utmost importance to leave the region with the children immediately! We have also been told we should not take a plane or train because of the manifest records. Wow! We may not be in communication for a couple of days depending on where we are and what happens. Please pray for all of us and especially for the children as we will take them quickly out of the orphanage. There will be no party or time for goodbyes. Thank you for all your prayers in advance.

We made it back to Kiev and went directly on to Donets'k region. This is an old photo, though, because we had no time for photos today. When we landed in Donets'k we hit the ground running and did half a day's paperwork in the last couple hours of the business day. Also, our guide met us at the airport and dropped a bomb on us: Anastasia and Jonathan's aunt has been trying to "destroy the adoption process." Why she decided to do something now, we do not know. Mike thinks she just wants to be paid off. Because of this, we have been told that our paperwork has to be "perfect." The inspector we heard about is not just a general visit, but specifically because of this situation with the aunt. This is the real reason Rosie had to come back for this part of the process. Even though this seems like very bad news, and can in fact cause problems, we have been told that the process is far enough along that it would be next to impossible for her to derail the adoption. But please be in prayer, as we don't take anything for granted. The next couple of days are going to be huge, and our goal is to get the kids out of the country as soon as possible. We will not even be seeing the children until it is time to leave the country so we can keep a very low profile and out of sight.

We have a lot to be thankful for as our travelling could not have been better. We actually slept on our flight to London AND we slept through the night (5 hours!) in our hotel. We are not nearly as culture shocked or jetlagged as we were last time, thank you, LORD! Because of the aunt situation, our guide is determined to get us all out of this country as quickly as possible-even more than before. We have been praying for swift process...this isn't exactly what we had in mind, but whatever works!

We do know that everything God has done and is going to do as He crafts the six of us into a family, is all a testimony to His greatness. To Him be glory forever!

Well, we are on the road again. The surprise of the trip was that at the last minute, we got a call from our guide saying both parents would be required to travel instead of just one as is the usual process. Rosie had a frustrated moment over not being able to prepare as well as she had envisioned for the homecoming, but after that just started packing! Praise God!

We are also thanking God for giving us a great flight to London in which we actually got about 5 hours of sleep! That left us with the energy and desire to do some sight seeing that we were not up to the last trip. Here is Big Ben, which is actually part of the large, beautiful Houses of Parliament (who knew?)






This is one of the views from Trafalgar Square. When Mike saw the first of many statues like this one he said, "Hey there's Paul Revere!" Thankfully England is a free country, so no one took offense to his mistaking an English nobleman for a colonial rebel!














Another view from Trafalgar Square is of Whitehall Street. We read on the back of a restaurant menu (our sophiscated source) that this street dates back to Medieval times. The architecture is so impressive everywhere you look!








Here is Mike with his buddy, Paul Revere, again.

















Here we are in front of Westminster Abbey. Apparently we just missed the Queen!

Our mission for this trip is clear: bringing home Anastasia and Jonathan!!! Our prayer is for swift completion of paperwork as well as insight into our new children as they adjust to us being their parents full time. We are trusting that God will give us what we need. We know He will.

Our gameplan: We arrive in Kiev Tuesday and fly directly to the region. We should get custody of Anastasia and Jonathan immediately! The remainder of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday we will be filing all the required documents: passport and visa applications for the children, US Embassy docs, physicals for the children and birth certificate finalization. Our plan is to leave Saturday and arrive in LA Sunday. Our airline tickets are booked. We pray things will go this swiftly because there are two girls at home who are anxiously awaiting the four of us and we can't wait to get to them and have our family all together! As the Lord wills.